Stourhead house and garden warminster 2020 all you need. Nunney romantic ruins of a 14thcentury moated castle set within a charming village. Perhaps the most beautiful and magical of all of the great 18thcentury landscape gardens. An amateur creation, stourhead was made for the most part by two members of the hoare family, henry hoare 17051785 and. The gardens at stourhead well more a park than a garden are very beautiful all year round but with the autumn colours, they are unmissable. We arrived in time to join a guided tour of the gardens. These tours are available monday to friday, between 10am and 4pm and last approximately 2 hours, but can be tailored to your requirements. Paint a beautiful stone as a gift or souvenir to remember your special day together at these dropin workshops. Authoritative texts and superb illustrations illuminate the history of the place and. Visit stourhead house and garden on your trip to warminster.
Perhaps taking the english obsession with formal gardens and landscapes to an ultimate level, the stourhead estate is a world renowned visual treat for the eyes. Salisbury is pleasant, but as you say, you are visiting plenty of other great cathedrals during your stay. Stourhead a great utopian masterpiece the enlightenment masterpiece of henry hoare, stourhead has an aura of calm serenity. In england, a tranquil landscape by design the new york times.
Lying in secluded privacy in its own valley, stourhead in wiltshire features one of the worlds finest landscape gardens making it perfect for a fantastic day out. Always interesting, but the find of the day was the farm shop, just inside the entrance. The worldfamous landscape garden has at its centrepiece a magnificent lake reflecting classical temples, mystical grottoes, and rare and exotic trees, and offers a day of fresh air and discovery. Then it was time for cream tea, which was beautiful. Family day at stourhead gardens holidays in dorset. Discover england tours offer gardeners the opportunity to visit some of the loveliest gardens in the south of england including. Stourhead a great utopian masterpiece ross garden tours. Its famous and wellrespected series of guidebooks provides the essential companion to your visit and a lasting souvenir of the experience. Palladian mansion and worldfamous landscape garden.
Weve been to stourhead many times, although this was the first time in february. With a lake at its centre, the garden is planned with temples and follies and a planting scheme which allows the. The garden s existence was revealed for the first time in the choice, a new book out this week by woodbridge, son of stourhead s historian and. The garden is a beautiful walk at all seasons along winding pathways.
It is one of the best examples of the english landscape style of garden. Gardens of somerset and dorset brightwater holidays. Book your tickets online for stourhead house and garden, warminster. The autumn display at stourhead nature visit wiltshire. Stourhead estate on the wiltshiresomerset border is the perfect day out for everyone. Stourhead, a site of c 331ha, lies north of the a303 between wincanton and mere in a rural area. The gardens are open every day of the year, including all holidays, except for december 25 th. The national trust cares for the finest collection of historic buildings, gardens, parks, landscape and coastline in the world. Stourhead house did not disappoint as there was plenty to do including a leisurely stroll around around the house taking in the history and even more leisurely around the amazing gardens and lake. The national trust manage stourhead and the gardens are quite well known throughout england. Richard returned home and spent the next forty years developing the house and gardens at stourhead. Find out why this building is so important to the landscape and history of stourhead, and why is must always. Discover delightful childrens books with prime book box, a subscription that.
Uncover the fascinating history of stourhead house with an italian grand tour adventure and enjoy the unique regency library, chippendale. I prefer my gardens smaller and more colourful, but it is a good example of a parkland garden. If you have a passion for unique english houses, then stourhead would definitely be well worth a look. We have organised a society tour to stourhead in wiltshire to view the house and tour the gardens between 11am and 4pm on saturday 9 th may. Stourhead is also discussed in numerous books on the history of gardens and landscaping.
The worldfamous garden at stourhead national trust. You can also visit stourhead house, a palladian mansion with a. Come as a group and discover the unforgettable magic of this world famous 18thcentury landscape garden and palladian house, in wiltshire. Eventually henry hoare purchased stourhead estate in 1717 and set about transforming it into a real georgian masterpiece. The overall estate features an exquisite palladian mansion, gardens, fountains, farmland, and a village. Rome2rio is a doortodoor travel information and booking engine, helping you get to and from any location in the world. My favourite was the cabinet room for obvious reasons. Its surely one of the most familiar views in the history of english landscape. Find all the transport options for your trip from london to stourhead gardens right here. The stourhead estate, which measures at 2,650 acres, is located near mere, wiltshire, and at the source of the river stour. Stourhead house and garden warminster 2020 all you.
As the path opens up you get a stunning view of the english landscape with views of. The staff in each room were so friendly and well informed. Here robin powell recounts her recent visit to one of the stour valleys garden treasure. The ground at stourhead is generally undulating and in parts hilly. Stourhead is a beautiful location but you cant see it in the dark. The lake is set amongst picture perfect lawns, surrounded by trees. We had a wonderful day out at stourhead and garden.
We recommend booking stourhead house and garden tours ahead of time to secure your spot. The palladian mansion is set amid picnic perfect lawns and extensive parkland. The gardens were designed by henry hoare ii and laid out between 1741. A visit to the national trust stourhead house and gardens. Stourhead guided tours the story of stourhead landscape garden available all year stourhead house. When we did the tour of the manor house a gentle, but steady rain was coming down, but after the manor tour was over and we headed out to the garden paths it was pouring. We have organised a society tour to stourhead in wiltshire to view the house and tour the gardens between 11am and 4pm on saturday 9th may. One of the many lovely things about the gardens at stourhead is the estate walk and many other seasonal walks on the grounds. Many of the paths lead around the big lake that is framed by the hilly terrain. Book one of our guided tours, especially for groups at a price of. Morning coffee or tea in a unique and charming location. Rome2rio makes travelling from london to stourhead gardens easy.
Deprived of both wife and career, richard went on a grand tour over the next six years, keeping detailed diaries of his travels. Further to the south lies the village of bonham and to the southwest the village of gasper. It became one of the bestknown gardens in england in the 18th century when polite society made garden visiting a fashionable activity. Stourhead is a 1,072hectare 2,650acre estate at the source of the river stour in the. The bank was originally created in the 17th century by sir richard hoare. Enjoyed reading about stourhead gardens and a history of the national trust property. The gardens at stourhead, a national trust property the.
Our volunteers will be on hand to offer inspiration. Stourhead, stourton with gasper 471 historic england. The rooms are exquisite, each one with its own character. Thats how a magazine described stourhead when it first opened its doors in the 1750s. A breathtaking 18th century landscape garden with lakeside walks, grottoes and classical temples is only the beginning. Stourhead gardens, laid out in the 1740s, is one of the best examples of the english landscape style. He was a keen antiquarian and spent many years researching the history of wiltshire, amassing. Stourhead was busy on this monday, dont get me wrong. Jul 30, 2018 youre spoiled for choice when it comes to english day trips, particularly a day trip from london. The final day of our garden tours includes a visit to wisley and then the inimitable chelsea flower show. History and horticulture this tour can be tailormade for your group visit to include some of wiltshires beautiful stately homes and gardens. When stourhead first opened in the 1740s, a magazine described it as a living work of art.
You can also visit stourhead house, a palladian mansion with a fantastic regency library and beautiful art collection. This page is not intended to give an in depth background to stourhead house and gardens, but more an overview of the history of the whole stourhead estate, and particularly stourhead western estate, the portion still controlled by the hoare family. Beautiful gardens stourhead house and garden, warminster. Uncover the fascinating history of stourhead house with an italian grand tour adventure and enjoy the unique regency library, chippendale furniture and inspirational paintings.
Its design style can be described as the augustan phase of the serpentine style. Treat mum to a special lunch and relaxing stroll at stourhead. The 10 best things to do near stourhead house and garden. The garden is a tranquil place to sit, relax and immerse yourself in 300 years of history. Its funds aided the development of stourheads garden, house and estate under seven owners from the hoare family, until it passed to us in 1947. Join a member of our team and discover one of the finest landscape gardens. A tranquil place to sit, relax and immerse yourself in 300 years of history. Stourhead gardens stourhead house and garden, warminster. The quality of their produce was superb as was the knowledge of the staff. From our base in taunton, our tour heads out each day to all four compass points, visiting historic national trust properties such as barrington court, tintinhull and the wonderful landscape of stourhead, as well as outstanding gardens such as kilver court, forde abbey and east lambrook, recognised throughout the world as the home of english. Discover the worldfamous stourhead house and garden, described as a living work of art when it first opened in the 1740s. History and beauty stourhead house and garden, warminster. Stourhead gardens stourhead is reason enough to visit england all by itself. Visit national trust property stourhead in wiltshire and wander through its.
Stourhead estate was owned by the barons of stourhead for about 500 years before being sold a few times. Stourhead landscape garden tour an 18th century garden with a picturesque lake, classical temples you might recognise one from the keira knightley film pride and prejudice, grottos and exotic trees in fact the finest example of the english landscape style of garden. From the sun rising over the lake in wiltshires stourhead gardens to dusk over wimbleball lake in exmoor, somerset these pictures shows just how beautiful the last gasp of autumn sunshine is before the reported rains are due to arrive. As my wife is partially disabled, we took advantage of a volunteerdriven golf buggy to go round much of the garden and this really.
Stourhead christmas lights make the gardens a brilliant, dazzling and spectacular blaze of colour it was freezing cold, the rain was lashing down and it was horribly muddy underfoot from the car park to the main attraction and yet this was one of the most fabulously enchanting evenings ive ever spent in my life. Chelsea flower show, 21st may 2020 the tour includes a full day at the chelsea flower show, which is the most famous horticultural event in the world, a visit to one of the best known arts and crafts gardens in england sissinghurst, a tour of the rhss flagship garden wisley with its new glasshouse, wilton house, capability browns timeless stourhead and harold petos iford manor. A magnificent lake is central to the design at stourhead, with the lakes edge being adorned with classical temples, enchanting grottos and rare and exotic trees to discover. Stourhead is one of englands great gardens and one of the worlds great gardens. Things to do near stourhead house and garden on tripadvisor. The small village of stourton lies immediately to its southeast, with farmland beyond it. In the morning we will tour the house with stourhead expert dudley dodd, author of past stourhead guidebooks as well as a book on the peretti cabinet that was bought by henry hoare ii in 1740 whilst on grand tour in rome. Stourhead contains an extensive and complex landscape garden and park. Westonbirt arboretum is the one that seems to attract the true masses each year and i hope that remains to be allowing the rest of us more freedom and space to enjoy these landscape gardens in wiltshire. Now under the care of the national trust, the mansion and landscapes often stunningly reflected in the man made lake date back to the mideighteenth century and continue to amaze. If you book with tripadvisor, you can cancel up to 24 hours before your tour starts for a full refund.
Stourhead is launching a new monthly dogwalking club for our visitors and their fourlegged friends. Possibilities include longleat, bowood, stourhead, great chalfield manor, arundells and the peto garden at lford manor. Deprived of both wife and career, richard went on a grand tour over. History ix, no 2 1989, pp 717 m batey and d lambert, english garden tour. See all 3 stourhead house and garden tours on tripadvisor.
But after trying several in my twoweek stay, id have to argue that the combination of stonehenge, salisbury, and stourhead gardens are one of the best youll find. Finding stourhead manors secret garden daily mail online. Gary krist travel article on stourhead garden in wiltshire, created by henry hoare ii. Always interesting, but the find of the day was the. Mere is a small town east of glastonbury and a little south of the town of warminster. Stourhead is one of the worlds finest landscape gardens and in autumn you can see vistas highlighted with burnished leaves and rusty colour palettes. The worldfamous landscape garden has at its centrepiece a magnificent lake reflecting classical temples, mystical grottoes, and rare and exotic trees, and offers a day of f. Dec 04, 2008 take an interactive tour of stourhead. Stourhead landscape garden national trust guidebooks garnett, oliver on. A family day out to stourhead, exploring the gardens, having a picnic and generally having a magical adventure. A regency history guide to the palladian mansion of stourhead and its. Its here that you get a real sense of the history of the estate and can see.
Stourhead gardens, wiltshire historic landscape garden. Stourhead was created in the 18th century by a banking family, the hoares. Stourhead gardens are widely regarded to be one of the finest. Includes a plan of the house, a tour of the house, and essays. In the morning we will tour the house with stourhead expert dudley dodd, author of past stourhead guidebooks including roman splendour, english arcadia as well as a book on the peretti cabinet that was bought by henry hoare ii in 1740 whilst on grand tour. Sales manager bob small 45 from stogursey, somerset spends his spare time travelling up to 200 miles.
Im also certain it wouldve been close to chaotic over the weekend. Stourhead landscape garden national trust guidebooks. The church is often overlooked by visitors as they walk towards the gardens, but its truly worth a visit. A good village pub or theres the moat and turret a dogfriendly cafe offering light lunches.
Stourhead is also discussed in numerous books on the history of. A journey into the local countryside, past countryside, villages and vistas that other tourists just wont see. This sprawling estate, covering over 1,000 hectares 2,600 acres, shelters a variety of native wildlife and includes a palladian mansion, farmland, woodland, and a renowned garden. The gardens are worth a visit if you like landscape gardens and the weather is good. Whether in the depths of winter or the early days of spring, stourhead is a gem of a garden and each time i visit theres a completely different feel to the garden. Stourhead includes a palladian mansion, the village of stourton, gardens, farmland, and woodland. The different shades of green leaves on display throughtout spring and summer create a wonderful backdrop and the lakeside walk looks particularly fresh and vibrant after a shower.
Hidcote and kiftsgate forde abbey, mapperton, the harold peto garden at iford manor, abbey garden malmesbury, mottisfont abbey rose garden, abbottsbury subtropical garden on the dorset coast and many more. Soak up the tranquillity of the garden in winter for a truly memorable experience. The terrace offers one of the most important views from the top garden. Stonehenge, salisbury, stourhead andor avebury rick steves. This worldfamous garden was designed by henry hoare ii as a series of carefully constructed views, like scenes from a landscape painting. London to stourhead gardens 2 ways to travel via train. Beautiful gardens even on a wet and windy day parking free to national trust members pay machine for non members restaurant and pub in the grounds gift shop a large amount is accessible by wheel chair and a golf buggy driven by guide available for the less able gift shop and. His son, also called henry hoare, was responsible for landscaping the gardens. The garden at stourhead is springing into bloom national.